As I tend to take photos of anything that moves or grows, a large collection of various butterflies has come to exist. OK, let’s make this hobby somewhat useful. The least I can do is upload these photos to iNaturalist.
Butterflies monitoring was obvious opportunity – it’s quite simple to create yourself a project there. I created new area of interest along the borders of my village, focusing on Lepidoptera, and here we go with local biodiversity mapping! And just like this, I became a citizen scientist.
We can highlight some objectives, right?
- Mapping the species diversity of butterflies in my area
- Creating a database for future analysis
- Monitoring long-term trends in butterfly populations
- Monitoring seasonal and inter-annual changes in butterfly populations
- Potential use of data for site management and conservation measures
Most of the animals I observe are attracted to the light on my house, nothing special (2x SMD LED light source – 1020 lm, 4000 K)
I take a photo or two, check the weather, temperature, and Moon phase and visibility, send it with GPS coordinates to iNaturalist. Easy as that.
By September 2024, I have observed 240 different species.
Latest observations:
